Federal competition authorities are suing the country’s three biggest wireless providers for a combined $30-million, alleging the carriers allowed third-party companies to “mislead” mobile subscribers into hefty fees of which they then took a share.

In separate suits filed Friday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Competition Bureau is seeking $10-million each from Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. — the maximum penalty allowed under law.

The bureau is also suing the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, the sector’s lobbying body, for $1-million in an administrative penalty for “facilitating premium text services.”